


hang in there love, you gotta hold on

by kawx



Series: the death of you and me [1]
Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mob, Death/Murder, F/M, M/M, MobBoss!Roman, Multi, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-08
Updated: 2016-05-22
Packaged: 2018-06-07 05:42:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6788032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kawx/pseuds/kawx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Is Viktor dead?” Seth asks without hesitation, eyes hard. </p><p>“Yes.” Roman supplies. Seth turns to look at Dean, tucks one of his messy curls behind his ear before turning back to Roman. </p><p>“Thank you.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. when you can't stop the bleeding, sing to yourself and hold on

**Author's Note:**

> I should apologise for posting this but I've been rambling about this for far too long on tumblr, so, here we are. This is the first installment of what will hopefully be a 10 part series. This will include lots and LOTS of violence, muder/death and mentions of rape/non con, so if you don't like that, please do not read on. now I'd like to say a big thank you to phoenixstein (houndsheart) on tumblr for her absolutely amazing mob roman work which ultimately made me feel things and start my own. THANK YOU. Also thank you to Kirsty for listening to me word vomit about this all the time. Title and chapter titles taken from Noel Gallagher and the High Flying Birds', Everybody's On The Run. Now, without further ado, enjoy!

It's a relatively little job, one that he, Jimmy and Jey should be able to handle without having the call in for backup. Jey swings the car around a corner harshly and his brother grumbles from beside Roman. 

 

“Uce, watch yourself we’re trying to do stuff back here.” Jimmy punctuates his words with the snap of the magazine being pushed back into the 9mm pistol. Jey shoots a quick sorry that doesn't sound genuine before throwing them around another bend. It would normally be Roman driving, seeing as he was actually the best at it out of the three of them, but tonight he's been relegated to the back in order to plan with Jimmy. 

 

Roman isn't really one for plans, never has been in his whole time in charge of the Empire, but his cousin is a meticulous man and he can't deny that some of their best jobs have been because Jimmy has scrutinised the whole thing to the very last full stop. 

 

If he's completely honest with himself, the twins - mainly Jimmy but he’ll never tell Jey that - are one of the main reasons the Empire is so successful. Just because they're his cousins, his blood, doesn't mean they have to be as loyal to him as they are. But they are, and Roman is eternally grateful to have them in his corner and fighting on his side because at the end of the day, what are kings with no regiment?

 

After inheriting the family  _ business  _ from his father after he died, the future of the Empire rested on his shoulders. He’d watched his father since he was little, sitting at his big mahogany desk while Roman played with his cars and trucks on the floor, giving orders for people to be  _ dealt with  _ and making arrangements for the places to become  _ his.  _ Even when Roman had been a teenager and he'd had to help more with his father becoming so frail, he'd never really understood the whole appeal of being the man in charge, he much preferred being handed a gun and letting his finger squeeze the trigger as bodied feel around him. 

 

Though he’d gotten his first taste for power when his father put him in charge of a big job in the next state over and he’d watched as men fell around him - fell because of him, because he’d told them that it was their time to  _ die -  _ and he’d understood, then. So when his father passed away, Roman took charge of the Empire without hesitation. He’s always been more hands on than his father ever was, but it's just the way he prefers to do things. He’s never liked the idea of sending his men out into the line of fire and not being right there with them. 

 

Tonight's job is simple, The Ascension are already half disbanded, one half of their leadership already taken out so tonight is just about getting rid of the other and seizing their land, then the whole of the east side of town will belong to the Empire. 

 

Jey pulls the car up to the back of the estate, mindful of where the cameras are on the sides of the gate and shuts the engine off quickly. Jimmy has planned it all out, even down to the very last moment. This side of the east isn't as nice as theirs, and Roman wouldn't care for having the land of it wasn't for it being a good safety buffer for the Empire. 

 

He hands a pistol to Jey and the three of them slip out of the car silently. Roman’s pistol is secured nicely in his holster, hidden under his suave midnight black suit jacket and he presses the crook of his arm into it slightly just to feel reassured that it's there. Many of The Ascension's man have already been disposed of - Jimmy had named them to him earlier but Roman didn't care for names - so there isn't really much danger, and they're coming in blind so really, Roman should have no need for his gun, but it's just in case. 

 

Jimmy leads them around the back of the large house and towards a window that is just big enough to fit one of them through. It's open, surprisingly. 

 

“Did you know it was going to be open?” Jey whispers quietly to Jimmy and his brother rolls his eyes in reply. 

 

“Yeah numb nuts, Wednesday is laundry day and they gotta keep the window open for the dryer or some shit.” 

 

Jey eyes his brother weirdly, “And you know that because?” 

 

Jimmy shoves him roughly towards the window, “Ain't no time for talking, get in and open the second door on your left, then unlock the back door so we can get in.” 

 

It makes Roman smile fondly, the way his cousins work so well together; Jimmy helping Jey slip through the window easily and silently. For men with such power, so many weapons, sneaking through a window seems like such an amateur move; but Roman prefers to enter silently so they can ambush their targets and honestly, there's no better way of a surprise visit than practically walking through the front door. 

 

Within seconds Jey is opening the back door for them and Roman leads the way inside. Using their trusty hand signals, Jimmy directs Roman to where The Ascension's base office is located. Several corridors later, the three of them find themselves in a large room that has two desks in and a large array of paperwork attached to the walls. 

 

The room is empty, which makes this all the more easier and Roman takes a seat behind one of the desks. 

 

“Looks like he's looking for who killed Konnor, all this shit is like evidence.” Jey says, standing in front of the wall that has all of the paperwork pinned to it. 

 

Roman muses over the thought while opening some of the draws to the desk. Most of them contain yet more paperwork but the bottom one harbours a rather impressive hand knife and Roman slips that into his holster. “Who’s the evidence pointing to?” 

 

“Not you, that's for sure.” Roman grins, good. 

 

The door to the office swings open and Viktor, the remaining head honcho of The Ascension steps inside, completely engrossed in - yet more - papers in his hand, not noticing the three men who have made themselves at home in his room. 

 

“You're not a very observant man, are you Viktor?” Viktor’s head snaps up quickly, the colour draining from his face when his eyes land on Roman whose leaning back comfortably in his chair. 

 

“How did you get in here?” 

 

“You know, I'd have thought with Konnor’s death you’d have made this place much more secure. We all but walked in, Viktor. That's no way to live, is it?” 

 

“What do you want, Reigns?” Viktor still hasn't moved and he looks more worn out than anything. This should be easier than he thought. 

 

“Surrender your land to me, Viktor. Easy as that.” 

 

Viktor growls, “No way. It's all I have left.” 

 

“What about your men?” 

 

“Disbanded them, I have no need for them anymore, they can't help me.” Viktor has a maniacal glint in his eyes that's quite unsettling but it doesn't phase Roman who simply leans further forward in the chair and flicks his eyes towards Jimmy and Jey who are stood side by side, hands clasped together identically. 

 

“If I send my boys to do a check, they won't find any of your men here, will they?” 

 

Viktor shakes his head, “No. I told you, they're all gone. It's just me now.” 

 

Roman dismisses the twins with a nod, knowing that they're both more than capable of looking after themselves if they do come up against anything. 

 

“Why don't we talk this out, Viktor? I'm sure we can come up with a deal. Take a seat.” Roman motions to the desk next to him which ignites something inside of Viktor and he's suddenly snarling and growling, launching himself over the desk at Roman. It's a pathetic attempt really, Roman easily catches him with a hand around the scruff of his shirt, slamming his head down onto the mahogany wood of the desk. Roman’s blood thrums with adrenalin, that rush of power coursing through him while Viktor struggles in his grasp. 

 

“Viktor, Viktor, Viktor. This could have been so easy. We could have worked a deal out, gone into business together. You could have kept your land and I'd have got what I wanted too, but this disgusting attitude simply won't do.” Roman grinds Viktor’s face into the desk, relishing in the grunts of pain coming from the man in his hands. 

 

“Now you have a choice,” His voice drops dangerously low as he manoeuvres himself around the desk without letting go of Viktor. Roman brings his face to his ear, hands wrapped tightly around his head, “You can surrender your estate to me and I'll let you walk out of this place with nothing more than a black eye for the trouble you’ve caused me or you can be a stubborn asshole. But I'll warn you, the second option won't end nicely for you.” 

 

There's a beat of silence, a breath and then Viktor is spitting, “Fuck you.” 

 

Roman huffs out a harsh laugh, hands tightening around Viktor’s head. “Have it your way then.” With a quick, strong twist of his hands, Roman hears the glorious snap of Viktor’s neck and feels the satisfaction of a body going limp in his arms. He lets the body drop to the floor and he takes a moment to admire his own work. It's a clean break, the guy wouldn't have felt a thing. He wouldn't have felt a thing with a bullet to the back of his head, but this is much cleaner for Roman - he's ruined too many nice white shirts with blood and brain matter - and for his clean up team. 

 

He fishes a hand into his pocket and calls them, letting them know the details: one boy, broken neck and no blood. Most likely no other bodies but to be prepared just in case. Xavier as always is a sassy motherfucker, explicitly moaning about having to come all the way out for one freaking body. 

 

“Can’t you just dump him in the backyard or something?” Despite the words, Roman can hear Xavier and the others moving around the room and getting their gear ready. 

 

“You know the rules, Woods, every body has to be properly disposed of regardless of quantity or size.” 

 

Xavier huffs, “Speaking of size, you better be giving us a bonus for getting rid of Show, that was one large motherfucker.” 

 

“You will, don’t worry.” 

 

“Good,” He drawls happily, “Be right over boss.” Roman hangs up and glances back down at Viktor’s body slumped at his feet. It’s sick really, but he’s glad that now Viktor can be with Konnor once again. 

 

Roman steps over him, hand slipping into his holster instinctively as he leaves the office. He hasn’t heard any commotion from his cousins so he assumes that Viktor was telling the truth when he said he was the only one here, but it never hurts to be prepared. 

 

The house is pretty big, well furnished too, but it's nothing compared to the Empire mansion. He doesn’t necessarily want the house, or any of the other houses The Ascension owned, but they come with the area so they’re his now anyway. He’ll find something do with them, maybe rent them out as an investment, maybe knock them down and build new. 

 

“Yo boss, you might wanna’ come and take a look at this.” Jey shouts from somewhere across the house. Roman follows his voice, the hand knife taken from Viktor’s desk held firmly in his hands as he approaches the back of the house. 

 

Jimmy and Jey are at the bottom of a short flight of stairs leading to what seems to be the basement. Roman steps down quickly, peering over their shoulders when he reaches the bottom. The sight that reaches Roman’s eyes makes him want to vomit, that mixed with the smell of sweat and sex and blood. 

 

On the floor seated on a pathetic excuse for a mattress are two guys curled together. One is leaning up against the wall while the other is somewhat situated in his lap, huddled close in what looks like an attempt at protecting himself. Both men are dressed in worn out clothes that have seen better days and were probably once clean of various types of bodily fluids. They have their hands bound with rope and they’re both seemingly out of it, though the one leaning up against the wall seems to have more about him than the other. 

 

“What the fuck is this?”

 

Roman feels the anger swell inside of him as he slips past the twins and steps into the room. “Looks like they were sex slaves.” Roman is many things, a murder, a sadist, an asshole, but he’s never been a rapist. The most heinous of crimes in Roman’s mind and the sight in front of him, two men broken so completely by what he can only guess is day after day of torture. 

 

Roman drops to his hunches slowly, watching as the more alert of the two watches his warily through half closed eyes. His dark brown hair is pulled into a messy, matted bun at the nape of his neck, a lot of it has escaped and is sticking to his sweat covered face. He half whimpers, arms curling around the man in his lap and attempting to shuffle away from Roman. 

 

“Hey, hey it’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you.” Which, that probably doesn’t help much gathering their condition and the fact that he has a knife in his hand. He reaches forward slowly, making no sudden movements and gently curls a hand around the ties that are binding the guys hands together. The rope is so worn and threaded that it doesn’t take much for the knife to cut through and release him. 

 

His hands are bright red from rope burn, bloody in places but the guy doesn’t have enough energy to do anything other than let out a weak hiss as Roman discards the rope. The man in his lap, however, is a different story. The rope wrapped around his wrists is much tighter, cutting deep into his skin, his eyes are closed but his chest is still rising and falling softly and that calms Roman slightly. 

 

With a bit more work, he releases the blonde haired, more worse for ware guys hands and discards the rope across the room. 

 

“What are we going to do?” Jey speaks up, breaking the eerie silence that has settled over the room. 

 

“Take them home, what do you think?” 

 

“Is that such a good idea? They obviously belong to The Ascension.” 

 

Roman shrugs his suit jacket from himself and wraps it around the blonde’s shoulders. “Well The Ascension are dead and this estate belongs to me, that means they belong to me too. We’re taking them home.” 

 

Jimmy shrugs his jacket off too, passing it to Roman to wrap around the brunette. “Get them in the car and then i’ll call Naomi and tell her to get her stuff ready, they’re going to need the heavy stuff.” He says, slowly and carefully slipping his arms underneath the brunett. Roman does the same with the blonde, lifting him out of his friends lap. He’s so light in his arms and Roman can feel his already burning rage intensify as the man lets out a hoarse, scared whimper from his arms. 

 

“Jey, you stay here and wait for Woods and the team, check everywhere twice in case there’s anyone else.” 

 

Jey salutes him, “Yes boss, I’ll call and let you know if there’s anything else.” 

 

Roman and Jimmy carry the two men through the house and out to the car. It’s difficult to maneuver them into positions that will hurt them the least because both of their bodies are beat to hell and littered with open wounds and cuts and bruises.

 

“What do you think happened to them?” Jimmy asks as Roman pulls the car out from where it's parked. 

 

“Like I said, probably sex slaves or prostitutes or something. Whatever it was, it wasn’t nice.” 

 

“Think it was Konnor and Viktor?” 

 

“Most likely, the other guys were assholes but I don’t think they had torturing someone in them. Plus, makes sense doesn’t it? One for Konnor and one for Viktor.” 

 

Jimmy grimaces and slides his phone out to call his wife to get ready for their arrival. Naomi, who is not only Jimmy’s wife, is also their in house nurse. Her medical degree from before she met Jimmy meant that she could perform pretty much every surgery that they needed and Roman knew that they were incredibly lucky to have someone like her as part of the Empire. 

 

While driving, Roman checks behind him constantly to check on the two, making sure that they’re still breathing and are mostly comfortable. The brunette one seems to try and come around a few times, but exhaustion always wins in the end.    

 

Naomi is waiting for them by the gates of the estate when they arrive, opening them manually because its much quicker than automatic and Roman pulls the car close to the front steps. 

 

“What are you thinking?” Naomi asks as she holds the door open to let Roman and Jimmy through with the men in their arms. 

 

“Most likely raped, most definitely dehydrated and malnourished, this one doesn’t seem like he’s got much left in him.” 

 

Naomi nods and then motions up the stairs, “I’ve set up some IV drips in the room next to your office, sooner they get some fluids inside of them the sooner we can see the real extent of the damage.” 

 

Hurriedly they carry them upstairs, trying their best to be quick while trying not to hurt them. The brunette attempts to wriggle in Jimmy’s arms a little, like he's trying to protest but he just doesn't have enough strength and Jimmy manages to keep a strong grip on him until they make it to the bedroom. 

 

Naomi has already set up the two IV drips and is already snapping on a pair of latex gloves while Roman and Jimmy place the two men on the bed. Roman takes a step back as Naomi sets to work, gently pinching their skin and watching is it didn't fall back into place quickly and grimacing. 

 

“It looks like any longer and this one wouldn't have made it, severe dehydration. The other one is on the verge but he's not as bad.” Naomi hooks them up quickly but gently before beginning to examine the rest of their bodies. 

 

The room is very quiet, Jimmy is silently helping his wife work, passing her cotton pads and antiseptic and bandages without much of a need to be instructed by her. With the minutes slowly ticking by, the anger and rage Roman had felt earlier slowly turns in worry for the two. Their seemingly lifeless bodies are spread out in front of him, battered and bruised all because worthless scum like The Ascension wanted to get their rocks off. 

 

Roman will never hide the fact that he has many dealings with prostitutes and hookers, hell he  _ owns  _ many of the establishments within a ten mile radius of the house but he prides himself on owning respectful and law abiding clubs. And he's satisfied an urge or two, too, but at the end of it he's  _ always  _ paid them in full with a generous tip and paid for a safe cab to take them right home. Because that's just what you do. The thought of someone doing anything but angers Roman right down to his very core. 

 

It takes Naomi nearly two hours to clean the two men from head to toe with antiseptic, bathing every cute and bite mark on their delicate skin. Fortunately, when all the dirt and grime is gone, their injuries don't look too bad. It still makes Roman’s blood boil at the mere sight of them, but it's not as bad as they'd fired. 

 

There’s a knock at the bedroom door shortly after Naomi has finished tending to them and Roman gets up from his chair and crosses the room to the door. 

 

“Hey boss, Viktor’s been taken care of and Jey wanted me to let you know that everything else was clear.” 

 

Roman nods and then steps aside to let Xavier into the room. 

 

“What happened?” His friend asks, stepping towards the bed. 

 

“The twins and I found them in the basement of The Ascension.” Roman says simply as he studies Xavier’s face. The man looks confused for a minute before realisation dawns on his face. 

 

“Mox and Tyler.” 

 

“What, you know them? Is that their names?” 

 

“No, no, that's their stage names, I don't know what they're really called.” 

 

“Stage names?” 

 

“They used to work for your club, uh, FCW, I think? The one that Enzo and Cass run. They were there when E and I were scoping out the Vaude’s for you. They were a customer favourite but then one day a couple of months ago they just weren't there. Everyone assumed they'd moved onto greener pastures.” 

 

Roman tries to swallow the bitter information. They worked  _ for him. In his club. And he couldn't keep them safe.  _ “Clearly not.” 

 

“They look so different to what I remember.” 

 

“Yeah?” 

 

Xavier nods, motioning towards the blonde. “Mox was, God he was so cocky. Customers loved him, he'd serve you a drink with a smirk and a wink but wouldn't give you so much as second glance. Then he’d get up on stage and set the whole club alight with his routine. Tyler was much the same, the older men especially loved Tyler. Flirtatious as hell, very hands on. Sometimes the two of them worked together and that would  _ really  _ get the crowd going. The regulars were pretty bummed when they suddenly stopped turning up.” Xavier looks up at Roman with a sad smile, “Now they look so broken.” 

 

“They’ll be okay, Roman. You got to them in time, they’ll pull through.” Naomi says softly, removing her gloves. She's cleared away all of the supplies she's used, leaving only the IV drips and fresh bandages out. Naomi squeezes his arm tenderly, “I’ll come and check on them in an hour.” She leaves him alone with Xavier and Roman lets out a long sigh, eyes transfixed on the two guys - Mox and Tyler until he can find out their real names. 

 

“I wish I'd have kept Viktor alive so that I could kill him again for this.” 

 

“You saved them, that's all that matters, boss.” Roman wants to say no, he should never have allowed someone who he employed to be exploited like this, but he doesn't. Xavier has already done enough for him tonight, he doesn't need to burden him with his self criticism so instead he just squeezes Xavier’s shoulder in thanks. Woods takes it as his cue to leave and does so with a nod of his head and a quiet, “G’night boss.” before Roman is alone in the room besides Mox and Tyler. 

 

He takes a seat opposite the bed, mind whizzing over the night's events. He decides that tomorrow he will go to see Enzo and Cass, try and find out more about the two and how they managed to just disappear from the Empire and end up in the hands of The Ascension. 

  
Roman bares witness to Naomi changing their bandages twice before the sounds of Mox and Tyler’s soft, even breathing lulls him to sleep. 


	2. a broken heart is still beating

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the wonderful feedback on the first chapter, you're all so lovely and I'm glad you enjoyed it. Hope you enjoy this one just as much. Again a big thank you Kirsty for always listening to me ramble on about this and never judging me when I talk about weird things. Love you! Warning for mentions of rape/abuse and violence so if you don't like that, turn away! Leave comments and kudos as it makes my day!

 

Roman pulls his car into the parking lot of FCW and kills the engine, leaning back in the seat for a moment. It’s mid afternoon and the usual Florida sun is hid behind a layer of cloud, the sky a stormy grey colour. He’s been out since early this morning after having woken up still seated in the chair across from the bed that Mox and Tyler were in. His back had a terrible crick in it but he knew there was no point in going back to his own room and trying to sleep some more, so he’d simply showered, dressed and eaten a small breakfast before heading out. 

 

He’d spoken to Kevin about possibly selling The Ascension houses to him, they guys got some pretty good ideas about developing the plot and creating revenue so all in all it sounds like a strong deal. Developing on the estate would make it an even better buffer for the Empire and would create profits for both he and Kevin. And if all else fails, Brie and Daniel are still looking for their forever home, there must be at least one that they like out of the four on the estate. 

 

But now Roman is at the FCW club to see Enzo and Cass to try and see if he can find out anymore information on Mox and Tyler. He slips out of the car and wipes his sweaty palms on his jeans. Despite the slight chill in the air, Roman’s sweating a little. It probably has something do with the fact that he’s wearing a pullover underneath his suit jacket which he never normally does and he’s just not used to this type of insulation. He’d decided on not wearing his suit today, seeing as the only things he planned on doing was seeing Kevin, Enzo and Cass. 

 

Kevin Owen is the type of man who  _ hates  _ wearing suits and he’d rather be dead than caught in one so Roman rarely ever wears one around him. Enzo and Cass are much the same and even though he’s their boss he has a good relationship with them and there really isn’t any need for him to show up in his full suit so instead he opted for his jeans and a casual suit jacket with a pullover underneath. The pullover was probably a mistake, though. 

 

Roman slips down the side of the building and presses the buzzer, he only has to wait a couple of seconds before Enzo’s loud, booming voice crackles through the small speaker of the intercom. 

 

“Yo yo you’ve reached Enzo Amore at FCW the realest club in all of Florida how may I be of assistance?” 

 

Roman really can’t keep a straight face or the humour out of his voice when he says, “You can stop doing those cheesy ass introductions and let me into my own damn club.” 

 

“Shit!” He hears Enzo scrambling about, hand still pressed on the mic of the intercom, “I’ll buzz you right up boss.” A second later there’s a beep and Roman pushes the door to the club open. 

 

It’s his own damn club, he doesn’t actually  _ need  _ Enzo to buzz him up, he knows the passcode and he’s got keys too, but he lets the boys run the club and so it doesn’t feel right to just walk in without warning, even if he does own the place. 

 

“Boss! Nice of you to drop by, how you doin?” Enzo ushers him into the office, all happy and buzzing with energy. His crazy appearance and personality never fails to put a smile on Roman’s face. 

 

“I’m doing just fine, Enzo, and you?” 

 

“Great boss, business is poppin’ as usual.”

 

“I’m glad to hear it,” He flashes Enzo a playful smile, “I’d hate to have to shut the place down.” 

 

“No chance of that! This place is the best club in all of Florida, and you can’t teach that,” Enzo grins, “So whatta’ you here for boss?” 

 

Roman suddenly turns serious as he takes a seat opposite Enzo at his desk. “I’ve actually come to ask you about some former employees, Mox and Tyler?” 

 

Enzo appears to be confused for a moment, eyes squinting before realisation dawns on him. “Oh, Dean and Seth? Yeah they were great guys, real crowd pleasers. They back in town or something?” 

 

Roman makes a face, “Kind of. When did they leave?” 

 

Enzo leans forward and taps out something on his keyboard, eyes studying the computer monitor in front of him. “About two, almost three months ago. They were here about six months.” 

Roman nods, “Do you know why they left?” 

 

“Seth mentioned something about another business proposition, something out of town that paid well and meant they didn’t have to stay up until nearly five am. Here, this is one of their last shows.” Enzo motions for him to join him behind the desk and Roman does so, perhaps more eagerly than necessary. Enzo has told him before that he sometimes records dancers performances for advertising purposes and training videos. 

 

“We really didn’t want them to go, they bought in a bunch of new customers and a lot of the regulars loved them, but you can’t force people to stay, s’not how we run this joint.” Roman watches as Mox and Tyler -  _ Dean and Seth  _ \- perform together on stage. Xavier was right when he said that Mox was cocky, he’s got a lavish smirk on his face as Tyler grinds down onto him and Roman doesn’t miss the way Tyler’s body moves flirtatiously against Mox’s. They look so different to how they do now and it makes Roman feel sick. 

 

“I wouldn’t have held it against you if you had.” 

 

“Whaddya’ mean?” 

 

Roman sighs, though he can't take his eyes off the monitor. “They're not in good shape, they somehow ended up in the hands of The Ascension. They ever come in here before Mo- Dean and Seth left?” 

 

Enzo shrugs, “Can’t say I saw em’ myself. Lemme’ ask Cass, he worked the bar a couple of times when they worked here.” 

 

“Cass worked the bar?” 

 

Enzo grins, “It was punishment.” 

 

Roman rolls his eyes. “I don't even want to know.” Enzo just smirks as he gets up and leaves the room to find Cass. Roman turns his attention back to the monitor where Dean and Seth’s performance is still going on. He shouldn't keep watching, not when the two of them are lying in his home completely fucked up and out of it, but there's something so mesmerising, so  _ arousing  _ about the two of them together on stage. He can't deny the attractiveness of them, and he can understand why they became a firm favourite. They're intoxicating. 

 

“Boss, nice to see you.” Cass’ warm voice enters the room and Roman has to pull his eyes away from Dean and Seth on screen to smile at him. 

 

“Nice to see you too, Cass, how are you?” 

 

“I’m good, can’t complain,” he leans against the desk, “Zo’ said you got some questions for me?” 

 

“Uh yeah, did uh, did The Ascension ever come here during the time that Mo, excuse me, Dean and Seth worked here?” 

 

Cass mulls the question over in his head before he speaks, “I think the bigger one, Konnor, came in once. I'm pretty sure he had a private dance. Hold on, let me check the books.” Cass pulls open one of the draws to the desk and pulls out a black, leather bound book. He flicks through it before finding what he wants. 

 

“Yeah here we go, he had a private dance with Seth about a month before they left. Don't think he came in again, though.” 

 

“Mmm, okay, interesting. Viktor wasn't ever about then?” 

 

Cass shakes his head, “No, I don't think so. What's this about, if you don't mind me asking?” 

 

“Yesterday I found Dean and Seth in the hands of The Ascension and they're not in a good shape, it was pretty much touch and go with one of them for a little bit.” 

 

“Which one?” 

 

“Mox, the blonde one.” 

 

“Shit,” Enzo mumbles, “Dean was always such a tough motherfucker. How’s he doing?” 

 

Roman smiles softly, finally able to put their names to faces, “He was doing well this morning, he’s had some fluids throughout the night so he should be okay with more rest.” He gets up to leave then, he's taken up enough of their time and he knows that they’ll have to start getting ready to open up. 

 

“Thanks for the help boys, means a lot.” 

 

“What are you going to do about The Ascension?” Cass asks, walking Roman to the door. 

 

“Let's just say that they’ll be taken care of.” Roman flashes Cass a smile before heading out. 

 

When he gets into his car, he takes a moment to let all of the information he'd gathered to sink in. Despite everything, there's one image burned in his brain. Dean and Seth dancing on stage together. Somehow all the other information is nothing in comparison, he already knew most of it anyway, but right now all he can think about is Seth grinding all over Dean. 

 

“Fuck, get your shit together Reigns, you can't be thinking about that.” He tries to wipe the image from his head, starts the engine of his car and pulls out of the parking lot slowly. Roman takes a slow drive home and tries to clear his head. He tries to think about the paperwork he's got to read over and sign, and the phone calls he's got to make to people who owe him money just try and get the X rated images out of his mind. It's only partially successful by the time he pulls up to the gates and he scrubs a hand over his face while waiting for them to open. 

 

Once he's pulled the car into the garage, Roman makes his way into the house. Naomi is just making her way down the stairs when he steps through the door and there's a gentle smile on her face. 

 

“The brunette one has come around, he wants to know where he is and what's going.” 

 

_ Seth.  _ Roman shucks off his suit jacket and hooks it over the crook of his arm. “Alright, I've gotta’ talk to Woods and the boys about something real quick, then I’ll be up. How are they?” 

 

“The blonde one is still out, but I think he’ll come around soon. The one who's awake seems to be okay, confused as to be expected but other than that we’ll have to wait and see if there's any long lasting mental damage.” 

 

“Thanks, Na, for everything.” 

 

She smiles and squeezes his arm, “Anything for my family, Roman.” Naomi passes him, heading into the kitchen. He follows her and then veers off down the hall towards the back of the house where Xavier and the boys do their work. He knocks on the door three times, the door opening as soon as he's finished the third knock and Kofi grins at him from the other side. 

 

“Afternoon boss! Come in, come in.” Kofi steps aside and Roman steps into the room and he can't help but smile at the decor. Despite the nature of their job, Xavier, Big E and Kofi are to put it bluntly, nerds. Their work room is covered in anime posters, obscure artwork and always with old R&B music playing lowly from their computer. It's so different to every other room in the house and Roman has to admit that it's his favourite because while he's in it, he can forget the dark red blood that forever stains his hands and for a moment he can pretend that he's in college or something stupid like that. 

 

“I've got last night's payment in my desk upstairs so if one of you comes to get it after dinner, you can have that bonus for Show, too.” 

 

“And I thought  _ I  _ was big.” Big E mumbles, and a grin breaks out on Kofi’s face. 

 

“I've also got some different work for you, if you're interested?” Roman says before Kofi can say anything and start the two of them bickering. Xavier perks up in interest. 

 

“What type of work?” 

 

“Scoping again, some surveillance.” The three men look at him with curiosity and Roman continues. 

 

“I don't know if Woods told you but last night I found two former FCW employees in the hands of The Ascension. They're resting up and as you know, both Konnor and Viktor are dead, but they disbanded the rest of their men and right now we don't know where they are or whether they're aware that their bosses are dead. There’s a possibility that once they find out that I have Dean and Seth, they could come back for them. I want to stop that before it happens.” 

 

“And that's where we come in?” Big E grins, rubbing his large hands together. 

 

“If you take up the offer, then yes.” 

 

“We accept boss, and don't you worry, ain’t no more of The Ascension going to harm those two boys.” Kofi says sincerely. 

 

Roman gives him a thankful smile and offers his hand to shake. He turns to leave then, and calls out as he goes. “Don't forget to come see me after dinner about your payment!” 

 

Xavier’s “Will do boss!” Gets half muffled when Roman closes the door behind him and makes his way to the stairs. He takes them two at a time, tugging his pullover over his head as he goes. 

 

If he's honest with himself, he's anxious to see Dean and Seth, and to finally  _ talk  _ to them, instead of staring at them all battered and bruised. Roman discards his pullover in his office before slowly opening the door to the bedroom next door. Naomi is again cleaning Dean’s injuries while Seth watches her. 

 

Both Naomi and Seth turn to look at him he closes the door softly and he smiles. Seth stares at him with wide, untrusting eyes and Roman can't blame him. He lets Naomi finish attending to Dean and leave the room before he pulls a chair up to Seth’s side of the bed. 

 

“How are you feeling?” He asks tentatively, eyes flickering between Dean’s sleeping form and Seth’s slightly pale, nervous face. 

 

“A little rough,” Seth says and his voice is rough too, a little nasally maybe but it suits him. Seth has beautiful, big brown eyes which compliment his pretty face. “Where are we?” He asks then, quieter then, like he thinks he's asking something he shouldn't. 

 

“On the west side of town, far away from where you were before.” A look flashes across Seth’s face, something unreadable, it's gone before Roman can really try and comprehend it. “Who are you?” 

 

“Roman Reigns.” 

 

Seth blinks a couple of times before tugging his lip in between his teeth. “You own FCW?” He whispers, like he shouldn't know, and Roman smiles while nodding. 

 

“Yeah I do, but I like to let Enzo and Cass think that they do.” A ghost of a smile appears on Seth’s face. 

 

“How did we get here?” 

 

Roman let's out a small sigh and wets his lips, “I was doing uh, business with Viktor. My boys and I found you before we left.” 

 

“Is Viktor dead?” Seth asks without hesitation, eyes hard. 

 

“Yes.” Roman supplies. Seth turns to look at Dean, tucks one of his messy curls behind his ear before turning back to Roman. 

 

“Thank you.” 

 

~ 

 

Later on, just before dinner when Roman is waiting for Big E to finish plating up some food for Dean and Seth, Jimmy sidles up to him. 

 

“How are they doing?” 

 

“Good. Ones awake, the other should wake up soon, Naomi’s looking after them well.” 

 

“How long will they be staying?” 

 

Roman takes the two plates that E hands him and starts to make his way out of the kitchen with Jimmy following him. “If they don't want to leave, then they don't have to. There's room for them here and they’ll be safe, I don't want them falling into the wrong hands again.” 

 

Jimmy smiles at him and gently pats him on the back. “You're a good man, brother.” 

 

Roman takes the food upstairs and settles for leaving at the side of the bed seeing as Dean is still asleep and Seth has fallen back to sleep. 

 

When he gets back downstairs and heads to the dining room, he finds his family all sitting around the table with their food in front of them, but no one has touched it at all. 

 

“You waited for me?” Roman asks, sitting down at his usual place at the head of the table. 

 

“Nobody starts before the boss and nobody starts before we say grace, you know that.” Jimmy says and everyone nods, holding hands around the table. 

 

Roman clears his throat, closes his eyes, and thinks of his father. “Malie pule, le Tamā e. Fa’afetai lesu foai mai meaai tausi ai matou le fanau. Amene. Thank you E for preparing the food and thank you to all of you, my Family.” 

  
Roman opens his eyes and raises his glass of water as he does every night. His family raise theirs. “Amene!” 


	3. can't fight the feeling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note to say that for anyone who was confused, Roman was indeed speaking Samoan in the end of the last chapter and I'm sorry that I forgot to point that out. It was a food prayer, for anyone interested. (I can't give you an actual translation as the place I got it from didn't have one, either.) The line 'As flies to wanton boys are we to the Gods, they kill us for their sport is a line from Shakespeare's 'King Lear'. Yay for English Literature revision! And also, this IS the last chapter to this part, but there will be many more parts in this series so keep your eyes peeled. Hope you enjoy and heed warnings of violence/torture/mentions of rape/non con. Please drop me a comment and some kudos and make my day!

Dean wakes up from his deep slumber the day after Seth does and what strikes Roman is how relaxed he looks in comparison to Seth. 

 

He blinks his eyes open slowly - they're a striking sapphire blue - while Seth sits beside him on the bed, hand running messily through Dean’s hair. His eyes don't widen at the sight of Roman like Seth’s did and he doesn't sit up with a start or thrash about like Seth had told Roman to expect. Instead he lies very still, the sheets clutched up in his hands and stares at Roman with eyes that are filled with relief. 

 

Roman is sitting in a chair pulled up to the side of the bed, a glass of water held in his hand. He lets Seth help Dean to sit up and just watches silently as Seth helps him to get comfortable before he hands him the glass of water. Dean takes a large sip, winces when he swallows and then looks straight to Roman. 

 

“Where am I?” 

 

Roman lets Seth tell him. They’d agreed this morning that Seth should be the one to tell him about Viktor, and that they were safe, because Dean trusts Seth and Dean doesn't trust many people. But Dean doesn't look like he wants to talk to Seth, he keeps his bright blue eyes on Roman the whole time that Seth is talking, his face void of much emotion. 

 

Dean is beautiful. Seth is too, they're both beautiful in different ways. Seth is pretty, with chiselled features and big eyes and soft-looking pouty lips. Dean looks rugged, blonde curls unruly and bright, wild eyes but there's something very soft about him. He doesn't look all too different to what Roman had seen on the video of him at the club, but his demeanour is. Maybe it's because of what he's endured, surely whatever it was could change a person, or maybe the cockiness was all an act. 

 

Dean’s eyes lock onto his. “You killed Viktor?” 

 

Roman slowly nods his head. 

 

“I wish I could have seen it.” It isn't what Roman expects Dean to say and he sure as hell doesn't expect him to say it like he's talking about missing a wedding, but he understands. Sympathy curls in Roman’s stomach, an ache to reach out and take Dean by the hand and tell him that he's never going to let any harm come to Dean - and Seth - sits heavy in his bones. 

 

“Konnor was nicer to me than Viktor was to Dean.” Seth says quietly and Dean visibly tenses, hands tightening around the glass in his hands. 

 

For the next ten minutes, Seth tells him how they ended up with Konnor and Viktor, that Konnor came by and promised him a life of luxury, both him and Dean, and that the two of them would never have to work another day in their life. It took more meetings outside of the club before Seth finally took Konnor up on the offer. But it wasn't what Konnor had promised, not entirely anyway. The life of luxury that Konnor had promised didn't exist, and Viktor despised Dean, at least Konnor wanted Seth. 

 

Seth had had some reprieve when Konnor was killed, but Viktor had taken his frustrations out on Dean in a brutal way. By the end of the account, Dean is gripping the glass so hard that Roman is afraid it might smash in his hands. 

 

“The Ascension won't hurt you anymore, I promise you that.” Roman gently reaches out and takes the glass of water from Dean’s hands. Dean looks at him, eyes sparkling. 

 

“When do we have to leave?” Seth asks and Roman stands then, wiping his slightly sweaty hands on his suit trousers. He has to leave soon, to speak to Kevin some more about development plans for the Ascension estate. 

 

“You don't have to, if you don't want to.” 

 

“Excuse me?” 

 

“There’s a home for you here, if you want it. But I’d like you to stay for a while longer anyway, just until you're both completely healed.” Roman slips on his suit jacket and adjusts his tie in the mirror. 

 

“How much?” 

 

Now it's Roman’s turn to say, “Excuse me?” 

 

“What would we have to do, to stay here?” 

 

An angry, uncomfortable feeling coils in Roman’s blood. Anger and rage that Seth would feel that they have to do something, anything, in order to have somewhere safe to stay. Roman swallows it down and smiles softly as he turns back to the bed. 

 

“Nothing.” 

 

“Nothing?” Dean speaks up, eyes wide with wonder and curiosity. 

 

Roman nods his head, “Absolutely nothing. At one time you were my employees, that makes you part of my Empire. My Empire is my family, you don't put a price on family.” Roman gives a small wave and heads out of the room. Somehow, the thought of returning to the two of them still lying in the bed, with Seth’s soft smile and Dean’s big eyes focused on him, does something to him. Makes him want to will this business meeting with Kevin to be over soon, hopes that nothing else comes up in the day so he can sit in his office happy in the knowledge that the two of them are safe in the room next door. 

 

Roman leaves the house after talking to his family. Naomi tells him that she's going to try and get Seth and Dean out of the bed and walking and Xavier lets him know that they’ve had a tip off about one of The Ascensions disbanded members who has some sort of grudge and they’re going to look into it. 

 

Satisfied that his family have things covered, Roman focuses on Kevin. The man is excited about the prospect of going into a deal with him, they’ve only worked together a couple of times before and nothing ever this big and Roman has to admit that the prospect of yet another mostly legal business venture under his belt excites him too. 

 

They talk for a long time about possibilities, Kevin’s got a friend out of state who has a restaurant chain that he wants to expand further afield. The estate is a good place for that, it’s not in a busy area but there’s enough people around to want that type of service. There’s a lot of land, too, plenty of space for Kevin’s friend to build around and build up. Some of the other houses can be redeveloped and rented out for easy, clean money for both he and Kevin. 

 

Despite everything, Roman has never been the greatest at project management. Back when he was a kid, the Empire was much smaller and the only people he lived with was his father, his aunt and uncle and Jimmy and Jey. His mother left pretty much straight after he was born, she had never wanted children and the thought of taking care of one repulsed her. So she left and his father - along with the help of his aunt and uncle - raised him without her. His aunt and uncle had no involvement in the Empire and so his dad didn’t see the need for lots of businesses in order to produce clean income. He got the money he needed from his dirty dealings and left it at that, so Roman didn’t learn much in the way of that kind of business from his father. 

 

It’s why he prefers to go into business with someone, mostly. Not only does it mean that he’s got people doing the work he can’t do for him, but it helps him build an army of allies. He knows that if anyone were ever to try and challenge the Empire, many of Roman’s business partners would go right into battle with him. And if that means giving up thirty to forty percent of the revenue then so be it, Roman makes more than enough money out of the state anyway. 

 

After more time than Roman would have liked - the sun is just starting to set, the sky turning a pretty coppery blue colour - he and Kevin wrap up the meeting with a plan in place. Kevin’s friend, Sami, will redevelop the main plot for his restaurant, use some of the surrounding land for other amenities, and the two houses right on the outskirts of the estate will be redeveloped and rented out. The whole lay out of the estate will essentially change - from being an estate to just being an area -, the gates will be taken down and it will be pretty much unrecognizable as the place where The Ascension conducted their work. Good. Roman doesn’t want there to be any trace of the disgusting men left. 

 

Roman is just about to make his way home when his phone rings. Xavier’s name flashes on the screen and he swipes to answer it quickly. 

 

“Hey boss, I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” 

 

“Nope, was just wrapping up. You got something for me?” Roman tucks his sunglasses into the neck of his shirt and settles for pulling the visor down. 

 

“That I do. Cody Rhodes or, Stardust or whatever he wants to call himself from The Ascension surfaced late last night. One of your guys, uh, AJ Styles I think, overheard him shit talking the Empire. He listened in, to see if it was going to lead anywhere and he mentioned Dean and Seth. Said that it was unjust for them to still be alive when Konnor and Viktor are dead. Ended his spiel with the notion that, and I quote, ‘Will kill Roman Reigns when I get my hands on him.’ AJ gave the message to Daniel, who passed it on to Kofi this afternoon.” Roman leans back in his chair, feeling that red hot anger start to simmer inside of him from not only the blatant disrespect from a nobody, but also the guys audacity to speak of Dean and Seth in such a way.

 

“That’s a bold statement if I ever did hear one. Do you have a whereabouts?” 

 

“You think I’d call you if I didn’t?” Xavier scoffs and Roman just smirks, putting the keys in the ignition and starting the engine. “He’s actually at SR, shooting pool. Swagger’s there right now keeping him busy.” 

 

Roman laughs, “Poor guy probably doesn’t know that I own that bar. I’ll drop by and surprise him. Prep the basement, would you?” 

 

Xavier lets out an excited noise and he can hear him calling for Big E away from the receiver. “On it boss,” he makes another joyful noise, “God this is going to be good.” Roman ends the call and grins, throwing the phone down onto the passenger seat beside him. He pulls out of the parking lot with restored vigor, the initial want to go home replaced with a need for retribution and damn if his hands aren’t itching for some blood. 

 

His bar, SR, is on the far side of town and one of Roman’s oldest ventures. His father had frequented there when he was younger and had always told Roman of the times he and his friends would stay there until the early hours of the morning, drinking and playing pool. The bar came up for sale not long after his father died and Roman bought it on a whim as some sort of ode to him, changing the name to his father's initials. It’s always done well, that side of town having a firm love for the place. It being Roman’s oldest project is probably why Rhodes is in there, shooting some pool after threatening to kill him. The poor guy has no idea what he’s just walked into. It doesn’t take Roman very long to get there, the evening drawing in has left a lot of the roads quiet, allowing Roman to drive right on without interruption. 

 

Roman adjusts himself in his mirrors, straightening his tie and collar, checking his cufflinks and smoothing down any flyaway hairs. The bar is pretty quiet when he enters, though it is mid week and pretty early on in the evening. There are a couple of men sitting at the bar nursing bottles of beers, another at a table with beers and some food. The pool table has the hub of excitement, a couple of guys with girls on their arms watching as Rhodes and Swagger play.   

 

The room goes a little silent when they notice him standing in the doorway before a southern drawl cuts through it, “Evening, boss.” Swagger looks up at him, pool cue clutched loosely in his hand. Roman gives him a curt nod, a large, humorous smile settling on his face. Cody’s mouth is a little slack, knuckles turning white from how hard he’s gripping his pool cue. Oh how he loves it when men who talk the big talk are actually just scared and feeble little boys. 

 

“Who’s winning?” Roman says easily, stalking his way around the table until he’s standing in between Rhodes and Swagger. 

 

A nameless man with a girl hanging off his arm speaks up, “Cody just has to pot the black and he’s won.” 

 

Roman grins and settles his hand on Cody’s shoulder, he squeezes his shoulder, digging his fingers deep into the muscle. “I’ll play the winner, then.” 

 

Despite what look like his best efforts to throw his game, Cody wins and Swagger resets the balls and passes Roman his cue. 

 

“Playing for anything, boss?” 

 

“No Jack, just good, old fashioned pride, right Cody?” The man swallows and nods, like he doesn’t have a voice and Roman grins, setting himself up to break. 

 

It’s a pretty easy game, Roman knows how to play and Rhodes is all wound up, and Roman wins after not very long at all. 

 

“Well boys, it was great playing with you but I should be going now.” Cody gives a little wave before practically hot tailing it out of the bar. Roman is quick to follow him, anxious not to let him get away. He’s walking quickly across the parking lot, near to Roman’s car, when Roman silently quick steps behind him and lands a swift, hard blow to the back of his neck. Luckily there is no one around to watch Cody fall to the floor unconscious, or see Roman drag him into the trunk of his car. 

 

He’s pretty proud of himself for not snapping Cody’s neck there and then. It would have been so easy, satisfying too, but nowhere near as satisfying as what he’s got planned for him back at the house. Roman’s mildly short drive back home has him back to thinking about Dean and Seth. He’d managed to keep them mostly out of his head all day, having focused so much on business plans and revenge, but now his mind is wandering to how the two of them looked in the bed when he left, and what they would look like in  _ his  _ bed, no longer hooked up to IV drips but naked and tangled together in the sheets. 

 

“Shit,” Roman curses, wiping a hand down his face and trying to rid himself of that mental image. “They’re in your care Reigns, stop that shit.” It doesn’t do much, though, and he’s still thinking about it when he pulls into the gates of the house. 

 

Cody provides a small distraction, now that he’s starting to come around, and Roman hauls him out the drunk and into the garage. Jimmy and Jey are waiting for him and they help him through the house towards the basement. 

 

It’s been prepared like he’d asked, a single chair set in the middle of the empty room and a wide variety of Roman’s favourite torture tools off to the side. Roman feels excitement curl in his stomach as Jimmy and Jey tie a mostly unconscious Cody to the chair. He has to admit that this is one of his favourite parts of his job, getting to release all his pent up rage on a poor, defenseless man, completely at his mercy. Makes him feel like God, allowed to unleash one of the seven deadly sins, wrath, because he’s  _ Roman Reigns  _ and he’s allowed. It’s his duty. 

 

In his usual, pre beat down ritual, Roman removes his suit jacket and unclips his cufflinks, handing them to Jimmy. He rolls up his sleeves and takes off his tie, undoing the first couple of buttons. 

 

Cody is halfway between consciousness and not when Roman decides that it it’s time for their guest to wake up so from the pile of instruments in the corner, Roman picks up the bucket full of water. It’s ice cold, he can feel just how freezing it is through the plastic of the bucket and Roman can only imagine how the icy water would feel when you weren’t expecting it. He grins and dumps it right onto Cody’s face. 

 

He shocks awake with a glorious gurgling scream, coughing and choking into consciousness, eyes wide with a fear that sends a thrill of pleasure coursing through Roman’s veins. 

 

“Nice of you to join us, Cody.” Roman rumbles, setting the bucket down. He’s barely started and he’s already itching to pick up the next tool, cause just enough pain to have Cody eating his own words and begging for mercy. Roman’s a sadist, through and through and he has no trouble admitting it. His only quarrel with it is that it’s a trait he inherited from his mother. His father was never a violent man, always got someone else to do what needed to be done and hated the sight of blood. But he’d heard his aunt and uncle discussing his mother once, and they talked at length about how she enjoyed hurting people, that it gave her some sick, twisted satisfaction in seeing pain and despair flicker through someone's eyes. Roman didn’t understand back then, couldn’t understand how anyone could enjoy that. He gets it now. 

 

“You know why you’re here, don’t you?” He asks, circling the shaking, dithering, pathetic excuse for a man. Roman doesn’t get an answer, just the pleasant sound of teeth chattering together uncontrollably and the sound of forced, slow breaths. Roman loves observing the body when it’s in a foreign state. When it’s forced to react quickly, protect itself, fight or flight. Cody’s body is simultaneously trying to cope with the way in which it was shocked awake, the sudden change in temperature and the overwhelming fear that Cody must be feeling. It’s a beautiful sight. 

 

“You’re here because not only did you threaten to kill me,” Roman returns to his earlier position of standing directly in front of Cody and slips his hands into his pockets casually. “But you spoke ill of people you have no business speaking ill about.” Cody looks up at him and defiance glints in his eyes, though it looks completely out of place in a man who is ringing wet and shaking like an abandoned cat. 

 

“Oh, the w-whores.” Roman supposes that it’s meant to come out like an insult, like venom, but Cody’s chattering teeth add an almost comic spin to the words. Still, it spikes a wave of rage in Roman that has his hand speeding out from his side and the back of his knuckles connecting with Cody’s cheek. 

 

Slight satisfaction comes when a bead of bright red blood blooms to the surface of Cody’s lip. 

 

“I’d watch your mouth, boy, you’re not exactly in the position to be angering me any further.” Cody seems to recoil and Roman grins widely, flashing his teeth. 

 

“Now, I’m going to ask you some questions and you’re going to answer them with a simple yes or no, do you understand?” 

 

Cody nods. 

 

“Good. Question one. Was it just Konnor and Viktor who abused Seth and Dean?” 

 

For a moment Cody looks like he’s about to protest, go on a rant, but then he reconsiders and settles for shaking his head and simply saying as Roman had asked, “No.” 

 

Angrier this time Roman clenches his fists inside his pockets. “Was it other members of The Ascension?” 

 

Again Cody looks like he wants to elaborate, but again he settles for, “Yes.” 

 

Roman takes a few steps backwards, takes in the sight in front of him. “You look as though you want to speak. Do so, but you better choose your words wisely.” A shiver runs through Cody, and Roman would like to think that it’s mostly out of fear rather than the cold. 

 

“It was only Dean. Konnor didn’t let anyone touch Seth, Viktor didn’t care who touched Dean as long as they used a condom.” Roman swallows harshly, the words making him feel sick to his stomach, the thought of Dean, all wide eyed and innocent being used and abused by multiple men making Roman dig his nails into his palms.

 

Roman grinds out, “And did you touch Dean?” 

 

Cody has the audacity to look disgusted, “You think I’d want a disgusting piece of trash like him when I had my ow--” Roman doesn’t even let him finish his sentence before he smashes his fist against Cody’s jaw. He feels the bones crack under knuckles, watches the blood splatter against the side wall. Without even letting Cody feel the pain Roman takes his jaw in a death like grip, his large fingers squeezing those sensitive points just under the ear. Cody tries to scream out in pain, but the blood pooling in his mouth makes it sound like a pathetic gurgle. 

 

“I told you to choose your words carefully, ulu’ela’ela.” Roman squeezes harder, relishes in the gurgle and the blood that spills over Cody’s lips at the added pressure. “As flies to wanton boys are we to the Gods, they kill us for their sport.” Roman hums into Cody’s ear, voice barely a dangerous rumble. “Ever read any Shakespeare, Cody?” 

 

Still in Roman’s vice like grip, Cody turns as much as he can to face Roman and says sourly, Fuck you.” Before spitting the blood that’s collected in his mouth straight into Roman’s face. It showers Roman like a veil of crimson, speckling his face and shirt. Blind rage surges through him and it takes all of Roman’s strength not to snap his neck there and then. 

 

Instead Roman spits from his own mouth, trying to rid himself of the disgusting taste before tightening his grip on Cody’s jaw. He howls in pain. 

 

“That’s the fucking trouble with you Ascension folk, you’re all too stubborn for your own good.” Roman hooks his foot under the leg of the chair and tips it backwards so that Cody is suspended. He begins to beg and plead for mercy. 

 

“I’m sorry, okay I’m sorry, please don’t kill me, fuck please don’t kill me.” 

 

Roman laughs harshly at the quick change in attitude. The fear of death works in marvelous ways.

 

“So now you want to behave. Well sometimes it’s too little, too late.” Roman increases the pressure on Cody’s jaw, squeezing his throat now and cutting off his air supply. He watches as he begins to go a deep red, eyes bulging as he’s brought right to the brink. Asphyxiating someone takes time, their body holds on, and on, tries desperately to hold onto life until they no longer can. Roman waits until the moment that Cody’s body is right on the edge, teetering on life and death before letting go and stepping back. 

 

There’s a loud, heaving gasp as Cody tries to suck copious amounts of oxygen into his lungs, tries to quell his racing heart. Roman lets him have a moment of reprieve, lets him think that he’s been granted the mercy he so desperately begged for; then snatches Jimmy’s gun from his holster and neatly puts a bullet between his eyes. 

 

Roman feels oddly sated when a single dribble of blood travels down the bridge of Cody’s nose and mixes with the blood on his lips. 

 

He passes the gun back to Jimmy and wipes a hand down his face. Blood smears his palm and he glances at Cody in irritation. “Fucking disgusting,” Roman turns back to Jimmy and wipes his hand on his pants, “Get Woods and the boys down here, I’m gonna’ go change and shower before dinner.”  

 

With one last parting look to Cody’s body, Roman swipes his suit jacket into his hand and leaves the room, only to come face to face with Dean as he does so. He’s looking up at him with those fucking wide, blue eyes and Roman automatically opens his mouth to say something, anything, because fuck, how much of that had Dean heard? Had he heard the gunshot ring out, Cody’s screams of pain, the begging for mercy? 

 

Roman’s words never get a chance to leave his mouth. Gently and slowly, Dean leans in and presses a slight kiss to his cheek. When he pulls away, his pretty pink lips are speckled with Cody’s blood. 

  
“Thank you.” He says before stepping away, going back up the stairs out of sight. Roman puts a hand to his cheek and tries to ignore the spread of warmth that's ignited his whole body at the touch of Dean’s lips. He’s so fucked. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If my research is correct, ulu’ela’ela is bastard in Samoan.


End file.
